3) WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT FAUST AND DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS AFTER READING THESE WORDS BELOW?
Faust is a German folk tale that appears as an operatic version that the narrator goes to in the book with the millionaire while in Europe. Faust is a person who is not satisfied with his life and calls on the Devil to help him. The consequence of the Devil helping Faust is that his soul will be taken by the Devil and enslaved forever. In Johann Wolfgang van Goethe’s Faust in the novel, Faust never makes the deal with the Devil and decides to be happy with a young woman. When this version of Faust dies, his soul is saved by the angels and the Devil never acquires his soul (read more). I think Faust is mentioned now due to the interaction he had with his father at the theater and his half-sister. The tale focuses on moral loss and perseverance and that is what happened to the narrator. At the beginning of the novel, he struggles with who he is as a person in the world and morally. His father played a huge part in this process due to his absence, but he persevered and was able to make a living for himself after his mother passed away with many complications down the road. I think having this play in the background when he sees his father again, is the narrator’s way of expressing the situation in his world of music. He is relating to Faust through his own life struggles with family and happiness for himself.
When looking up the definition of W.E.B. Dubois’s term “double consciousness” it means “the struggle African Americans face to remain true to black culture while at the same time conforming to the dominant white society” (Click here for site). In the novel, the narrator was white-passing, which was his main self-identity struggle throughout his journey. Du Bois’s term plays a role in this novel because our narrator can walk through life in two views. The narrator describes the way he sees Black people through his eyes when he believes he is White at the beginning of the novel. For example, the way he describes his friend Shiny. On the other hand, he describes how he sees White people when he is in situations where he is perceived as a Black person. For example, when he looks for work after his money is stolen in Atlanta. The narrator was about to look at different parts of his culture through the eyes of the dominant culture as Du Bois would term it. I think he decided to identify more with his White identity because he did not want to face the struggles of his Black identity. In the end, he came to regret this decision and described it in biblical terms, as he took the food rather than the struggle and perseverance.
Bailey, Bailey, Bailey… I agree, that W.E.B. Du Bois’s concept of “double consciousness” plays an important role in the narrator’s journey. The duality reflects the constant tension between the narrator’s outward appearance and his internal sense of self. As a white-passing individual, he experiences the privileges and perceptions associated with being white while internally grappling with his Black heritage. His interactions with black and white communities illustrate this internal conflict.
The narrator’s shifting perspectives highlight the societal pressures and personal dilemmas those who navigate multiple identities face. His initial tendency to embrace his white identity, driven by a desire to avoid the hardships associated with being black, ultimately leads to regret and a sense of moral loss. This choice and its consequences resonate with the themes of Faust, where the protagonist’s initial decisions lead to profound realizations about the true nature of happiness and fulfillment.